UPFA victory; a victory for fight against terrorism - Minister

‘Opposition allegations over election violence are baseless’:

Chaminda PERERA

Foreign Employment Promotion Minister Keheliya Rambukwella said yesterday that the UPFA’s victory at tomorrow’s Provincial Council election will strengthen the President and Armed Forces personnel to continue their effort in the eradication of terrorism.

Minister Rambukwella told the Daily News the Government was confident that the majority of people will endorse the Government’s fight against terrorists by defeating the reactionary forces led by the UNP.

“These forces including some NGOs and INGOs are relentlessly striving to reverse the Government’s attempts by levelling various baseless allegations at national and international level,” he said.

The Security Forces in the northern front have made tremendous achievements in their efforts to liberate innocent civilians from the clutches of terrorists and establish civil administration, the Minister said.

Patriotic UNPers in their thousands have joined the Government in support of this process. The people will show their commitment to the government’s peace building efforts through the eradication of terrorism by voting for the UPFA, he said.

The opposition’s allegations over election violence are baseless and the party is in a futile effort to cover up its sagging popularity in the North Central and Sabaragamuwa provinces, the Minister said.

The UNP should be responsible for incidents of election violence reported from these provinces. UNP supporters have attacked a number of SLFP supporters engaged in peaceful election campaigns and damaged their party offices in the NCP and Sabaragamuwa, Rambukwella said. “The people, I am quite confident, will help the Government remove this cancerous elements who have ravaged the country for more than three decades.”

Textile Industry Development Minister Mahinda Ratnatilleke said the UNP and the JVP were engaged in unleashing violence in the district in the face of looming defeat at the election.

More than 560 UNPers from the Kalawana electorate have joined the UPFA, he said.

“The JVP’s popularity has reduced to zero with the arrest of a former National Film Corporation Director who was reportedly involved in several terrorist atrocities in the Colombo city,” he said.

“Two parliamentarians who represented the JVP have defected the party and joined the NFF realising the detrimental effects of being in such a party,” the minister said.

“UNP supporters were directly involved in the shooting incident at the Elapatha SLFP office. It is reported that UNPers who have notorious records of conduct have been brought down from Colombo to engage in election violence blame it on the government,” he said.